Tom Brady cheers on niece Maya Brady for securing spot on women's softball World Cup roster
Tom Brady received countless cheers as one of the league’s best quarterbacks throughout his 23-season career. But now that he is not playing anymore, he’s giving support, especially to his niece, Maya Brady.
The three-time NFL Most Valuable Player congratulated his older sister’s daughter on making the team representing the United States in the 2024 World Baseball Softball Confederation Women’s World Cup.
Brady posted an Instagram story featuring the 16 players tasked to defend the USA’s title. Tom Brady’s niece is one of three outfielders competing in the prestigious tournament from July 11 to 21 in Ireland, Italy, and Spain.
Maya Brady deserves to be part of the world’s top-ranked women’s softball team after winning the 2023 Pac-12 Player of the Year honors and being a finalist for USA Softball’s Collegiate Player of the Year.
Last year, she batted .448 with 18 home runs and 59 RBIs. While she played in only 33 games this year, she finished with a .398 batting average, 10 homers, and 38 RBIs.
As the USA Softball Instagram account posted and Tom Brady re-shared, his niece, former Florida Gator Amanda Lorenz, and two-time world champion Haylie McCleney will be the primary outfielders.
Meanwhile, Brady’s support for her niece isn’t just lip service. The seven-time Super Bowl champion witnessed Maya Brady and the UCLA Bruins win against Arizona State in April 2023. He even posted a photo with his niece on his IG stories.
Is Tom Brady making a football return?
The 46-year-old quarterback teased unretirement with his statements during his April 12 appearance on the DeepCut with VicBlends podcast. He identified two teams he might consider representing if he plays again: the New England Patriots and the Las Vegas Raiders.
Aside from returning to game shape, Brady playing for the Raiders presents some hindrances because he is one of its minority owners. He said about his potential return:
“I’m not opposed to it. I don’t know if they’re gonna let me if I become an owner of an NFL team, but I don’t know if…I don’t know, I’m always gonna be in good shape, (I’ll) always be able to throw the ball.”
Brady’s statistics from his final NFL season show that he is a quarterback who can still play at a high level. In 2022, he had a 66.8 completion rate (490 of 733 attempts) for 4,694 yards and 25 touchdowns for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.